In the United States today, it costs less for a family of four to eat at a fast food restaurant than it does for them to buy fresh vegetables at the grocery store. This has a lot to do with the nation’s farm bill, which gives subsidies to corn producers, but not to broccoli growers. Corn is the cornerstone of the American food system, found in everything from livestock fodder to soda pop; and since it’s a simple carbohydrate that quickly turns into sugar in the bloodstream, it’s also the main culprit in the country’s epidemic of obesity. After all, we feed cattle corn to fatten them. In order to battle obesity and all of the diseases that come with it – such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke – it will be necessary for the country to break the corn connection.
What makes fast food so addictive?
The human brain is wired to seek out fat and sugar. These nutrients would be in short supply in the wild, but modern food processing has put them on the table in unnaturally refined form. Our bodies simply aren’t designed to handle granulated sugar, corn syrup or large quantities of lard.
Cheap is expensive
When you’re hurting financially and working long hours just to stay afloat, it may seem impossible to put healthy, inexpensive food on the table. However, the costs of eating fast food are simply deferred. Eventually, you and your loved ones may pay the price battling serious health care problems. The key is to find a way to eat a well balanced diet in an affordable manner, while staying away from the fattening agents that make processed and fast food so tempting.
Frequent a farmer’s market
Farmer’s markets are places where local growers sell their produce, meats, cheeses and even herbs and flowers. The difference between the nutrition levels in robust, leafy greens available at an open-air farmer’s market and the withered, limp lettuce at the grocery store is significant. The orange-yellow yolk of an egg from a free-range chicken is loaded with nutrition. In comparison, the eggs from factory-farmed hens that never see sunlight and live in stressed conditions have pale yolks and little food value. In addition, farmer’s markets help keep small farms in business.
Plant a salad garden
Even in a suburban backyard, there is usually at least one sunny spot that can be used to grow lettuce. A raised garden bed is ideal since it allows protection from household pets. In addition to having access to the freshest possible produce, you’ll find that gardening itself is a calorie burning activity. A half hour of gardening will burn 125 to 150 calories.
Stay away from the grocery store
Put your blinders on and run in to stock up on paper products, detergents and perishables such as low-fat milk, and then get out before you give in to temptation and load your cart up with corn-derived processed food.
Some areas offer community-supported agriculture. With this type of program, it’s possible to pay a monthly fee and have a box of fresh vegetables delivered to your door. Another option is to subscribe to a food delivery service. Gourmet prepared meals can be ordered using BistroMD diet coupon codes or a Diet To Go promotion code. These are designed with calorie counting in mind so that you adhere to your weight loss program.
Plan ahead
The easiest way to fall off a weight loss program is to follow the path of least resistance when you’re stressed and tired. That’s when you’re most likely to resort to the drive-thru burger joint for a quick and easy answer to hunger pangs. Build willpower into your life by taking corn-derived products off the menu, and bid adieu to obesity.
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